What is Major Depressive Disorder?

Major depressive disorder, also known as clinical depression, is marked by depressed mood, inactivity, lack of interest, insomnia, feelings of worthlessness, diminished ability to think, and may include thoughts of suicide.

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What is it like to have Major Depressive Disorder?

Common Symptoms Patients' Latest Severity My Current Severity  
Severity
Severe
Moderate
Mild
None
Back pain None Mild Moderate Severe
Dizziness None Mild Moderate Severe
Headaches None Mild Moderate Severe
Hyperventilation None Mild Moderate Severe
Inability to experience pleasure (anhedonia) None Mild Moderate Severe
Lack of motivation None Mild Moderate Severe
Low self esteem None Mild Moderate Severe
Muscle tension None Mild Moderate Severe
Nausea None Mild Moderate Severe
Problems concentrating None Mild Moderate Severe
Stomach pain None Mild Moderate Severe

What do patients take to treat Major Depressive Disorder and its symptoms?

Commonly prescribed and frequently used treatments

Treatment name Efficacy Overall rating of side effects # of Evaluations
Bupropion
(Voxra, Voxra, Budeprion SR, Zetron)
155
Individual Therapy
(Meditation - Reflection, Mentalization Based Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Individual Therapy, Drug Treatment Centers)
146
Venlafaxine
(Odven SBK, Pracet, Zarelis, Venlor XR)
133
Duloxetine
(Yentreve, Cymbalta)
122
Fluoxetine
(Moltoben, Flunil, Actan, Verotina)
116
Citalopram
(APO-Citalopram, Citabax, Mylan Citalopram, Alcytan)
100
Sertraline
(Eleva, Lustral, Tolrest, Daxid)
87
Escitalopram
(Loxalate, Seroplex, Es Pramcit, Lexamil)
67
Desvenlafaxine
(Pristiq)
23
Mirtazapine
(Rexer, Mirzaten, Axit, Avanza)
23
Aripiprazole
(Amirozole, Zedan, Abilify)
21
Lamotrigine
(Apo-Lamotrigine, Lamictal ODT Green Titration Kit, Lamictal XR, Lamictin)
20
Electroconvulsive Therapy ECT
(Bifrontal Electroconvulsive Therapy ECT, Unilateral Electroconvulsive Therapy ECT, Bilateral Electroconvulsive Therapy ECT)
18
Quetiapine
(Cobalt-Quetiapine, Qusel, Ketipinor, Ratio-Quetiapine)
12
Lithium Carbonate
(Lithosun, Teralithe, Maniprex, Lithionate)
12

These charts show data from Major Depressive Disorder patients' latest treatment evaluations

Who has Major Depressive Disorder at PatientsLikeMe?

<20 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70+
Current Age
Distribution of females vs. males
Gender
78% Females
22% Males
Age at first symptom
Age at first symptom # of patients Proportion
0-19 yrs 2383
20-29 yrs 910
30-39 yrs 580
40-49 yrs 316
50-59 yrs 86
60-69 yrs 8
70+ yrs 3
Diagnosis status
Diagnosis status # of patients Proportion
Diagnosed 7847
Not Officially Diagnosed 1800

These charts show data from Major Depressive Disorder patients who have completed their condition history